Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Finish This General Knowledge Quiz Without Using More Than 5 Hints?

Jonnathan Chadwick

Image: xavierarnau / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

You never know when you're going to need to know a random piece of knowledge. Whether you're auditioning for Jeopardy, playing bar trivia with co-workers or just playing the latest trivia app with your friends, general knowledge always comes in handy. You might need to calculate a tip at a restaurant, identify a brand logo, recognize a dangerous element or help a friend remember the name of a movie, and general knowledge will help you do that. At the very least, it's good to know that all the stuff you learned in school isn't going to waste.

So let's see what you got. Do you know the state and world capitals? Can you name the U.S. presidents? If you're that friend who knows everything about everything, this quiz will be a breeze for you. If you're that friend that knows nothing about nothing, this quiz will teach you more than you could've imagined. And if you're just looking to brush up on some general knowledge, we got you covered. In this day and age, there's no excuse for not knowing something. The answer to almost anything you could ever want to know is at your fingertips. Put your skills to the test and see if you can answer all these general knowledge questions.

Art Wager / E+ / Getty Images

The Mississippi River is the longest in the country. How many states does it touch?

Five

10

15

20

The Mississippi River begins at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and runs all the way through Louisiana and into the Gulf of Mexico. It touches eight other states on its path and is commonly recognized as the longest river in America.

Warner Bros., Heyday Films, 1492 Pictures

Some of the most popular people in the world are fictional characters like Harry Potter, who was created by which of these authors?

Jane Austen

William Shakespeare

J.K. Rowling

Stephen King

J.K. Rowling couldn't have predicted Harry Potter would take the world by storm the way he did. She first thought of the character in the early 1990s and spent the better part of the decade crafting his story.

Image Source / Image Source / Getty Images

What element is atomic no. 1 on the Periodic Table of Elements?

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Hydrogen

Helium

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe but not the most abundant element on Earth. It's so light that Earth's gravitational pull can't keep it on the planet, but when it's able to bond to oxygen, it creates water, which covers about 75% of the planet.

Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images / Getty Images

Earth has withstood at least five mass extinctions since its creation. When did the dinosaurs die?

65 million years ago

100 million years ago

1 billion years ago

65 billion years ago

The dinosaurs went extinct in one of the worst mass extinctions the Earth has ever seen. About 75% of all species went extinct, including all species of land dinosaurs. It was the last mass extinction on Earth.

Wiki Commons by Photograph by Orren Jack Turner, Princeton, N.J.

Some of the most famous people in the world are inventors like Albert Einstein, who was born in what year?

1879

1924

1943

1867

The smartest minds in math and science have always tried to explain the most complex topics in the most absurdly simple terms. Newton explained the force of gravity with three letters, and Einstein explained nuclear fusion with "E = mc2," which is probably the most famous equation in the world.

Wiki Commons by Gamerscore Blog from USA

What team did Kobe Bryant play for?

Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Lakers

Chicago Bulls

Charlotte Hornets

Kobe Bryant is one of just two NBA players to have played at least 20 NBA seasons with the same team. He spent his entire career in LA. The only other player to do so is Dirk Nowitzki, who spent his whole career with the Dallas Mavericks.

BBC

Can you name this artist known for his songs "One Love" and "Jamming"?

Sting

Michael Jackson

Bob Marley

John Lennon

Bob Marley was one of the most famous musicians of all time and was undoubtedly the most famous reggae musician in the world. His song "One Love" was named the "Song of the Millennium" by the BBC, and he's one of the highest-earning artists of all time.

Zanuck/Brown Productions, Universal Pictures

Do you know this movie about a shark that terrorizes a New England Beach town?

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind"

"E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"

"Jurassic Park"

"Jaws"

Steven Spielberg burst onto the scene with this horror epic that was revolutionary for its mechanical shark in the pre-CGI days of film. It was just his second feature film not made for TV, and he followed it up with classics like "E.T." and "Indiana Jones."

Wiki Commons by Facebook

We see thousands of advertisements every day. Do you know this brand logo?

Google

Twitter

Amazon

Facebook

With billions of accounts around the world, Facebook is one of the most influential companies on the planet. The social networking giant also owns Instagram and WhatsApp and is even creating its own digital currency.

Walt Disney Studios

Everybody can name their favorite cartoon character. Do you know who created Mickey Mouse?

Walt Disney

Matt Groening

Dr. Seuss

Charles M. Schulz

Mickey Mouse is one of the first characters Walt Disney created back in 1928. Today Mickey serves as the mascot of the Walt Disney Company, and he's one of the most famous fictional characters in the world.

Yuko Yamada/Moment/Getty Images

What's the chemical formula for water?

OH2O

CD2O

H2O

OOO

One thing that stops hydrogen from escaping Earth's gravity is oxygen. Hydrogen that's escaping Earth can bind to an oxygen molecule and get stuck, and when two of them bind to one oxygen molecule, it creates water, which is H2O.

John Parrot/Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images / Getty Images

One of the most famous disasters of the 20th century was the sinking of the Titanic. What year did it happen?

1926

1942

1898

1912

The Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, 1912. It then spent the next two hours sinking and was at the bottom of the ocean on April 15, 1912. More than 2,200 people were aboard the ship and 1,500 people died when it sank.

Wiki Commons by Cecil Stoughton, White House

Four U.S. presidents have been assassinated when in office. What day was President JFK assassinated?

April 4, 1968

June 5, 1968

April 15, 1865

November 22, 1963

John F. Kennedy was the last U.S. president to be assassinated in office, but the fourth overall. Five years after his assassination, his brother, Robert, and Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated. The decade ended with Americans walking on the moon.

Wiki Commons by Joshua Massel

Can you name this guy who won six NBA championships in the 1990s?

LeBron James

Michael Jordan

Kobe Bryant

Shaquille O'Neal

Michael Jordan is considered the greatest basketball player of all time and deservedly so. He three-peated twice, and he very possibly would've won eight NBA championships in a row if he didn't retire and play baseball.

The Guber-Peters Company, Warner Bros.

Who is this mega star who has sold 300 million albums worldwide?

Celine Dion

Cher

Taylor Swift

Madonna

Madonna burst onto the music scene in the '80s and is the best selling female musician of all time. She was known for her provocative image, and she consistently bucked the status quo throughout her career.

Warner Brothers

What's the name of this WWII romance set between France and Morocco?

"Casablanca"

"Schindler's List"

"Citizen Kane"

"Psycho"

Even if you've never seen a black and white movie in your life, you've probably heard of this movie about Rick Blaine, his little bar in Casablanca, the piano player named Sam and that one time he spent in Paris.

Wiki Commons by McDonald's

There is no food on Earth like American fast food. Do you know what fast-food joint uses this logo?

McDonald's

Wendy's

Subway

Burger King

The McDonald's golden arches are recognized around the world and are one of the greatest logos ever. They're frequently constructed high above highways and roads to be seen for miles and pull in drivers from all directions.

Wiki Commons by Chordboard

Superman is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Do you know when he was invented?

1938

1961

1893

1918

Superman first appeared in "Action Comics" No. 1 in 1938, and he was written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Joe Shuster. A mint-condition copy of the comic sold for more than $3 million in an eBay auction in 2014.

InkkStudios / E+ / Getty Images

What is the Earth's atmosphere mostly made of?

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Carbon

Neon

Earth's atmosphere is almost 80% nitrogen and about 20% oxygen with trace amounts of a few other elements. Scientists have spent years trying to figure out where nitrogen on Earth comes from, but we do know it's different than nitrogen that comes from the Sun or comets.

Wiki Commons by NASA

Today's astronauts are like 15th-century explorers. When did man first walk on the moon?

1969

1972

1963

1952

American astronauts left for the moon on July 16, 1969, and landed on July 24, 1969. It was seven years after President JFK gave his "We Choose to Go to the Moon" speech. The first human-made object landed on the moon 10 years earlier.

ilbusca / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images

What year did Joan of Arc die?

1431

1775

1562

1215

Joan of Arc was famously accused of heresy and cross-dressing and burnt at the stake in 1431. After she was executed, she was burnt again and then again, but her legacy has lived on. Today she is one of the most well-known figures from medieval times.

Wiki Commons by Анна Нэсси

Can you name this footballer who is the most followed person on Instagram?

Neymar

David Beckham

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only three non-Americans in the top 10 most followed Instagram users. The most-followed account is Instagram itself, but after that, it's Ronaldo. Messi and Neymar round out the top 10.

Imagine Entertainment, Mikona Productions GmbH & Co. KG

Do you know this rapper from Michigan who is the best selling rapper of all time?

Eminem

Macklemore

Jay-Z

Tupac

Eminem has sold more than 220 million albums across the world, making him the best selling rapper by far. Kanye sits in second place with a bit more than 130 million albums sold, and legends like Jay-Z and Tupac barely break 100 million sold.

Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Peregrine

Can you name this horror classic where a family becomes snowbound in a haunted hotel?

"Scream"

"The Shining"

"Halloween"

"The Exorcist"

Stephen King wasn't too happy with Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of this horror classic, but the movie has gone down in history as a classic. Kubrick was insistent on changing minor details in an attempt to make the story his and King didn't take too fondly to that.

Wiki Commons by Rob Janoff

What brand uses this logo?

Pepsi

Apple

Unilever

Amazon

Everybody agrees that Steve Jobs came up with the name "Apple," but how exactly he thought of it is anyone's guess. According to him, he was on a fruit diet and liked apples. Nevertheless, the company and the logo is one of the most famous around the world.

Do you know the American author who created Atticus Finch?

Harper Lee

Ernest Hemingway

Mark Twain

Toni Morrison

"To Kill a Mockingbird" sits at the pinnacle of school literature in America. It is middle school literary canon. It was written by Harper Lee, and the character of Atticus Finch was introduced to the country in 1960.

Wiki Commons by Frank Graham Cootes

Franklin D. Roosevelt was U.S. president during WWII. Who was president during WWI?

William Howard Taft

Warren G. Harding

Calvin Coolidge

Woodrow Wilson

Everyone can remember FDR dropped an atomic bomb during WWII, but nobody remembers what the U.S. did during WWI. The country was led by Woodrow Wilson and remained neutral until 1917 when it declared war on Germany.

DenGuy / E+ / Getty Images

More than 10,000 battles were fought during the American Civil War. Do you know when the war started?

1861

1865

1855

1850

The first battle of the Civil War took place in 1861 at the Battle of Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter had been a hotbed for activity for the entire year. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces spent about 30 hours bombarding Union forces, forcing them to eventually surrender and the Confederates took over the area, starting the war.

Wiki Commons by Library of Congress

When was Helen Keller born?

1935

1860

1880

1920

Helen Keller was born in 1880, and despite the illness that left her blind and deaf, she lived until the age of 88. Most people learned of her struggle and triumph from her autobiography. The story went on to become the award-winning play and film, "The Miracle Worker."

Wiki Commons by PoolSafely

Can you name this Olympian who has 28 gold medals?

Carl Lewis

Mark Spitz

Jesse Owens

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps has more medals than any other Olympic athlete. He has 23 gold medals, three silvers and two bronzes. His first Olympic games were the Millennial Games in Sydney, but he didn't win his first medal until four years later in Athens.

Wiki Commons by PH2 Mark Kettenhofen

Do you know this singer and actress who amassed more than 400 awards in her career?

Cher

Celine Dion

Whitney Houston

Mariah Carey

Whitney Houston was known for being able to hit some of the highest notes in all of the music industry, and she's famous for several stand-alone performances like her rendition of the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV in 1991.

Fantasy Films

What's the name of this film that is one of just three to sweep the Academy Awards?

"The Shining"

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

"Silence of the Lambs"

"It Happened One Night"

Only three films have won Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and this is one of them. The most recent to do so was "Silence of the Lambs" in 1992, and the first one was "It Happened One Night" in 1935.

Wiki Commons by AT&T

Who knows what the world would look like without this global company. Can you match the brand to the logo?

Amazon

Pepsi

Unilever

AT&T

AT&T is the largest telecommunications company in the world and deservedly so. It started back in 1885 and was founded by the guy who invented the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell. In today's digital world, AT&T is one of the world's most influential companies.

Eon Productions

Before James Bond graced the Silver Screen, he was a character in a novel. Who created him?

Ian Flemming

James Patterson

William Faulkner

Charles Dickens

James Bond is one of the world's most popular fictional characters, and he was created in 1952 by Ian Fleming, who worked as a spy in real life. Fleming spent more than a decade writing 14 novels which have been adapted countless times.

Wiki Commons by Betsy Graves Reyneau

What day is Martin Luther King Day?

Third Monday of February

Second Tuesday of November

Fourth Wednesday of April

Third Monday of January

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, and the earliest day that the third Monday of January can fall on is the 15th. The latest is the 21st. MLK Day happens every year sometime between January 15th and 21st; the third Monday of January.

Steve@Colorado / E+ / Getty Images

What was the last battle of the American Revolution?

Battles of Lexington and Concord

Battle of Bunker Hill

Siege of Yorktown

Battles of Saratoga

American soldiers surrounded British troops at Yorktown for weeks before they finally surrendered. General Lord Cornwallis led British troops, and he surrendered on October 19, 1781, ultimately ending the war.

studiocasper / E+ / Getty Images

It is American custom to tip at least 15% at restaurants. What is 15% of $50?

$15

$5.50

$10

$7.50

To find 15% of any number, it's easiest to find 10%, split it in half and then add the two products. To find 15% of $50, just find 10%, which is $5, and then split $5 in half ($2.50) and add them together ($5 + $2.50 = $7.50).

Wiki Commons by Nrbelex at English Wikipedia

Do you know this tennis superstar who has 23 grand slam titles?

Serena Williams

Venus Williams

Margaret Court

Monica Seles

Serena Williams is just one grand slam title away from tying the record for most grand slams by a tennis player, which is held by Margaret Court. Serena has finished runner-up nine times and is still playing at the top of her game.

Wiki Commons by United Press International, photographer unknown

Which of the following was never a member of the Fab Four?

John Lennon

Ringo Starr

Paul McCartney

Bon Jovi

Once upon a time, there were a couple of fifth members of the Beatles named Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. They played together in Germany under a different name, but the Beatles we know of have always been a fab four.

Paramount Pictures

Do you know this guy who taught the world that life was like a box of chocolates?

Forrest Gump

Chuck Noland

Jimmy Dugan

Sheriff Woody

The character of Forrest Gump was created by author Winston Groom in the 1986 novel "Forrest Gump," but Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg brought the character to life. His "box of chocolates" quote is one of the famous in cinema history.

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